Sunday, December 2, 2012

As a hundred pairs of shuffling
feet settled calmly before the starting line, three runners shifted
nervously as they made their way into the back of the pack. What does an
aspiring triathlete, a road cyclist and an average runner have in common? A love
affair 21 km long.

The journey began a few months
back as 3 blokes who happen to enjoy running decided to run the half distance,
each one battling their own demons to prove a point.

Runners off to a very fast clip at 5-5:30 race pace.

Allan, a road cyclist all his
life, decided it was time to try the grueling distance of the 21k;
Erwin, a triathlete, needed the race volume to augment his training for the
half ironman; and yours truly, a one-time ultrarunner decided
it was time to renew his age-old 2:21 personal best in the 21k.

Eating hills for breakfast.

We arrived at Rosford Street
Reserve earlier that morning still debating whether to join the 6:30 gun start
for the 21k (for slow runners finishing 2:15 or more) or just join the regular
run at 7:00. But looking at the array of starters for the 6:30 gun start
(senior runners), we knew we had to check in with the regular run—if only to
keep our sanity intact.

The SMC, being run by club
members and volunteers, is a no nonsense type of race. What it lacks in festive
running atmosphere it gives back by way of expert race organization, race
timing, safety precautions and accurate distance markers measured by a Jones
Counter.

Runner too fast, need autofocus!

It was a subdued countdown and
immediately runners were off to a very fast start along the Reserve’s neat
cycleway cutting through an immaculately trimmed landscape and overhanging
trees. The pace was a sickening 5-5:30 min per km, a 10k race pace for me, well
above planned pace. I had to restrain the other “musketeers” (more on that
later), who had armed themselves with a small water bottle (Allan) and a
sports drink (Erwin), to slow down. I armed myself with a digital point and
shoot instead. Come to think of it, I was the only one running and taking photos at the same time!

Joan: 58' PB in the 10k.

The photographer in me was just at awe at all the sights and great scenery that
runners had to run through-- the early morning light shining through patches of
tall leaf-covered pines, the spring-blossomed flowers lining along footpaths, the sloping
uphills reflected by the morning sun, and the lush greenery that was just waking up to the sights
and sounds of Fairfield. Even the uniformly lined water cups, sports drinks and
jelly beans seem to align perfectly in a race where the light footfalls of the
road, the steady breathing of my lungs and the pounding of my heart was just
music to my ears.

The bike enthusiast enjoying his first half marathon.

With the course looping around a
5k distance which was all uphill, the km walk breaks was a welcome relief. But
having started (and maintained) an easy back-of-the-pack race pace while chatting
aimlessly amongst ourselves, a race marshal dutifully called us “the three
musketeers”. All for one, one for all!

Mucking around at the turnaround.

At each of the provided water
stations, volunteers gave us encouraging words while prodding us on. At the end
of the loop, we turned around and headed back clearly surprised by the absence
of race marshals at this end of the loop. Back home, race marshals are a necessity to deter runners who might make
shortcuts. Such is the honest display here of making your own race count.

We made good headway by utilizing
a revised Galloway method—15 second walk break per kilometer at 6-minute pace.
We were hitting 32 minutes per 5 km despite the harshness of the sun bearing
down our caps and the sweat pouring down our backs.

But by the 18th km, myquads were beginning to tighten up. So did Erwin’s and Allan’s
that we were increasing our km walk breaks from 10 seconds to 15-20 seconds. We
managed to close in the gap, though, by increasing our running pace that by the km 21, we were just astounded as we crossed together the finish
line at 2:14:50. We were running at an even pace between 6:15-6:17 per km.

The official time placed Erwin 23rd and me 24th out of 25 in our age group while Allan placed 24th out of 25 in his respective age group. Overall, our time ranked us 94th, 95th and 96th over 105 runners for the 21k (the last
runners to come in was a 60-year old female at 2:46—10 minutes faster than my
first half marathon over 2 years ago!).

Sure we finished at the tail end of the
pack but I gather our finishing time was not bad at all given that we were
physically undertrained but immensely confident.

Finishing 2:14 in an 'all for one, one for all' fashion.

Good race nevertheless. We
achieved what we came for—Allan, his first half; Erwin, a long run; and as
for me, a gauge of my current fitness level. That sub-2-hour half
marathon will have to be taken at a stepwise approach.I have ran the half previously in 2:55, 2:31, 2:30, 2:24 and 2:21. Since finishing 2:14, it would be prudent to aim 2:05-2:10 by January or February.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The title is
misleading. I haven’t run the entire distance recently— although the last time
I did was on the mountainous trails of Dahilayan. Rather, it took me a little
over 2 weeks of a decent run on the Adidas Adipure 360.

A nasty fall, some cuts, abrasions, one big
laceration and 50 kilometers later, the Adipure now stands as my to-go shoe in
long distance running.

The Adipure 360 is traditionally
marketed by the three stripes as an all-around gym shoe. But its minimalism and
flexibility make it a very adequate running shoe.

Merrell True Gloves, VFF Bikila, Adipure 360

The Adipure is a lightweight
training shoe (comparable to the Nike Frees) with its breathable upper mesh and
neon green non-marking out sole made up of synthetic textile. The shoe tongue
is attached to the sides much like the Free.

175 gm, 200 gm and 220 gm, respectively.

Its toebox is wide enough to allow
toes to splay while the arches provide just the right amount of support for medium pillars as mine. With regards to cushioning, there is enough ground feel
and sensory feedback on trail rocks and
pebbles—quite tricky with the Bikilas or True Gloves.

Keeping the doctor away at 175 gm.

The 10 mm
measured heel-to-toe drop is not as revolutionary as the zero drops of more
minimalist shoes but it is versatile enough to be worn casual with faded jeans
while strolling around the Opera House.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Well into its fourth year, Sydney's
iconic Opera House is transformed once again into a digital projection
of lights and sounds celebrating a festival of ideas and creativity
which began last May 25, culminating on the Queen's birthday on 11 June.

Friday, May 11, 2012

The Westlink M7 is an urban toll motorway that runs through the major cities of Blacktown, Eastern Creek and Prestons here in Sydney's West. It is a 40-km stretch from the suburb of Baulkham Hills to Prestons itself. The vehicular speed limit is 100 kph and 110 in some parts. If not overtaking, one should stay on the left outermost lane.

But what excites me about the M7 is the uninterrupted pedestrian and bike lane that runs with the motorway. 40 km of pure runners' and cyclists' delight.

Together with a friend of mine last Saturday, we ran 10 miles in the chilly autumn air of the M7. I have to say that the "cycleway" (its common name) is a great place to run a long slow distance, or LSD. The route is mostly flat with some elevations.

Groups of cyclists in their road bikes speed through us with a precedent "On your right!" and "Good day, mates!" with a few runners in between. What a spectacular route that was, the enveloping warm sunshine a much needed comfort to the chilly 9-degree air. The well maintained asphalt provided a soft and easy grip on my trainers.

The cycleway is such a great place to train that a marathon, which traces its history in the 80s, is now accepting registrations online for the July 2012 Westlink M7 Cities Marathonutilizing the same route we ran.

This is the ideal marathon challenge for me. It's a small race with a scenic route. However, temperatures around this time of the year hover around 10 degrees Celsius with the average finishing times from last year's race at a speedy 3:57!

It's funny that assuming I train religiously for the 4:30 finish, I would still be below average.

Anyway, with the recent spate of a still healing Achilles Tendonitis, I am bypassing the race this year.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

About 20 pairs of legs strike through the treadmills and stairclimbers of the gym while a dozen or so cycle through the bike machine, their fixated eyes focused on the high definition display above. This I observed as I took my kids to their weekly swimming lessons in the nearby pool.

I used to workout in confined places such as this, my line of sight limited by muscular men (and women) pumping iron and dripping sweat all over the floor and my motivation for each visit as aberrant as my weight.

But now I have moved on. Over 2 years have passed since I seriously started "cold turkey" running. Just got up one day, tied my unused runners and headed out the door... and never looked back since then.

Quakers Hill

I have not stepped on a treadmill ever since (save one time for a medical test). And I have no reason to again.

The outdoors have been my greatest motivation. Each laboured breath and climb has been rewarded by the ethereal afternoon display of the setting sun, its different colours and hues painting the boundless sky.

Monday, March 26, 2012

I live on a hill where elevations are a common occurrence. I didn’t mind it at first since it helped me run a personal best.

But now, I probably have Achilles tendonitis from running a newfound pace and running uphills. The healing usually takes awhile owing to the fact that is has limited blood supply.

For the past month since I ran my best, I have noted some mild discomfort in my Achilles tendons which are worse when you wake up but gets better during the day. It is also debilitating during the first 20 minutes of a run.

Currently, it’s still the same. No improvement as of late. Time to lay off the poundage then.

But telling a runner that he needs time to rest is like telling yourself to lay off rice.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

In a few days time, the season opener of the 2012 FIA Formula One Season heads down to the historic city of Melbourne, about a thousand kilometers southwest of Sydney. I can almost hear the purring and squealing of the 2.4-liter V8s burning rubber in Albert Park as 12 teams gather this weekend, its pecking order realised come Sunday afternoon local time.